>>>>>>>>The Wilmer Flores Collection

A true orange and blue Metropolitan who will be greatly missed.

Some of these have never been shared. Cards with the same photo were usually whittled down to one choice and then posted.

There was a reason some of these didn't make the cut, or were changed.

Like the WILMA! version of the TRADED card. 

At first I thought: that's funny.

And then I thought: too much yellow. 

Yes, my mind works in mysterious ways, even to me.

Flores grabbing his jersey signifying "I'm still a Met!" 

should have been included on his 2015 .GIFcard™ depicting his walk off. 

It wasn't, and hopefully this balanced that out. 

Some error cards have been included in this collection.

Photo by Sharon Chapman

A bonus WILMAHHHH! kaBOOM

A bonus MFC blog header

To be continued.......

>>>>>>David Wright Tribute Set- The Wright Stuff

I'm going to make a small set of cards as a tribute to David Wright. I don't know how many cards yet, I'll be making it up as I go along. I hope to introduce it before the end of October. I don't want to rush this because The Captain was someone special and he deserves the best. Stay tuned.

It's going to be tough in 2019, to look out towards third base and not see David there.

But we always have the great Mets memories he gave us.

Wish you the best in all you do Mr. Wright.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>mfc Salutes Jeff McNeil!

Let's salute a current player. 

I really like what I'm seeing from our 

new infielder Jeff McNeil.

Jeff was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft.

He made his professional debut with the Kingsport Mets. McNeil played 2014 with the Savannah Sand Gnats and St. Lucie Mets. He spent 2015 with St. Lucie and Binghamton Mets. After the 2015 season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. 

In 2016, McNeil began using an unorthodox knob-less bat given to him by Mets minor league hitting coordinator Lamar Johnson; at that point Jeff began using knob-less bats exclusively. 

He played in only 51 games combined in 2016 and 2017 with Binghamton, St. Lucie and Las Vegas 51s due to numerous injuries. 

Jeff started 2018 with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and was promoted to Las Vegas during the season. He was called up to the majors for the first time on July 24, 2018.

McNeil's 1st MLB hit.

 He recorded his first Major League hit that night at Citi Field against Phil Hughes of the San Diego Padres on the first pitch he saw. 

_________

McNeil hit his first 

Major League home run 

off Tanner Roark of the 

Washington Nationals on July 31st.

And he's a damn good fielder too!

>>>>>>MFC salutes Howard Johnson!

MFC salutes Howard Johnson

(N.Y. Mets, 1985-1993)

On September 11, 1987, "HoJo" stole his 30th base to join the 30-30 club for the first time. He and Strawberry became the only teammates to achieve 30–30 status in the same season.

                                               Awesome photo by David G. Whitham

The entire league took notice of Johnson's unexpected rise in 1987 and he received 42 points in the voting for National League MVP. His home run and RBI totals were second only to Strawberry on the team and his home runs were seventh-best in the entire majors.

In 1987 Johnson's 36 home runs were the most in National League history by a switch-hitter, breaking Ripper Collins' 53-year-old record.

With his 30th home run on August 20, 1989, Johnson joined Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays as the only multi-year members of the 30–30 club.

Johnson's best game was his first ever five-RBIs game, including a grand slam, at Wrigley Field on June 13, 1990.

Howard became the leader of the offense for the Mets and, in response, became arguably the best offensive player in the National League in 1991, winning two-thirds of the coveted Triple Crown.

At season's end, Johnson had won both the National League home run title and RBI title. The 38 home runs broke his own record for N.L. switch hitters and 117 RBIs set the Met record for most runs batted in in a season until 1999. Both were also career bests for Johnson. On October 1, 1991, he stole his 30th base becoming only the second player, after Bobby Bonds, to join the 30–30 club in three different seasons.

Johnson's time with the Mets came to an end in 1993 as he was granted free agency.

In 1994, Johnson signed with the Colorado Rockies.  After a sub-par season with the Chicago Cubs in 1995, Johnson retired at age 35.

HoJo served as a hitting coach for the Butte Copper Kings (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), the Brooklyn Cyclones (N.Y. Mets), St. Lucie Mets, Birmingham Mets, Norfolk Tides (N.Y. Mets),

In 2007, he took over first base coaching duties for the Mets, and later that year was named hitting coach (until 2011).

Johnson was named hitting coach for AAA Tacoma Rainiers of the Seattle Mariners organization for the 2013 baseball season.

He then joined the Mariners as a hitting coach for the 2014 Season part of the new coaching staff (until June 20, 2015).

Johnson managed the single-A Down East Wood Ducks (Texas Rangers affiliate) in 2017, and is now hitting instructor for the AAA Round Rock Express in 2018.

____________________________

Career Highlights

•>Member of the 1984 World Series champion Tigers and the 1986 World Series champion Mets.

•>1992–1997: Held career National League record for home runs by a switch hitter.

•>1987–1996: Held single-season National League record for home runs by a switch hitter.

•>Three-time member of the 30–30 club (1987, 1989 and 1991). Only Bobby Bonds, Barry Bonds and Alfonso Soriano have reached the marks more often.

•>1987–1991: Second highest home run total in the National League behind only teammate Darryl Strawberry.

•>1989 and 1991: Member of the National League All-Star team.

•>1989 and 1991: Winner of National League Silver Slugger award for third basemen.

•>Second on Mets all-time home run list from 1991 until 2004.

•>Second on Mets all-time RBI list from 1993 until 2005.

•>1991: Became the only switch-hitter to ever lead the NL in both HRs and RBIs in the same season.

•>1991: Became the only Met to lead the National League in RBI.

•>1991: Became the first switch-hitter to lead the National League in RBI. (Lance Berkman became the second in 2002.)

•>June 1989, September 1991: Winner of the National League Player of the Month award. He was the last Met to win the award until David Wright in June 2006